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How far can insults go in a “Young Adult” novel?

Asked by: Shawnna Morales

How much can you swear in a YA novel?

If you’re writing for young children, then bad language is just not okay. When it comes to writing for Young Adults, swearing is allowed, so long as the themes of your novel demand it and you’re writing for the more mature YA audience (that is, one likely to be making its own book selections).

What is the average word count for a YA novel?

For young adult fiction, the word count is once again lower, with the ideal being 55,000 – 80,000 words. Younger still, middle grade fiction (ages 9-12) should come in between 30,000 and 55,000 words. Books for readers aged 5-8 typically sit around 20,000 words.

Are you allowed to swear in books?

It’s no longer taboo to have swearing in most types of writing, though the frequency and the type (e.g. “hell” vs. an f-bomb) can vary greatly depending on the audience and the subject matter. When writers ask, “Can I include a swear word in my novel?” the answer, usually, is yes.

Is explicit or edgy content okay in young adult books?

No matter what age range you’re writing for, edgy content should never take over from a well-developed plot and characters—it should enhance the story you’re telling, not distract from it. Keep in mind that while most stories with very young protagonists are middle grade or YA fiction, not all of them are.

What book has the most swear words?

The worst offender on the list was “Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines” by Nic Sheff (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009). That book, the memoir of a young man addicted to meth, had more than 500 instances of profanity and 139 instances of the f-word.

Why do authors use profanity?

Authors use swear words in writing for various reasons, including to express strong emotions, add emphasis, shock readers or break taboos, or just to reflect how people talk in the real world (e.g., in dialogue). But swearing can also offend people, especially if it is gratuitous.

Do first time authors get advances?

New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Brandewyne weighed in on how much author advances are “An author signing a first contract can expect to receive an advance of anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, on average, per book.

How long should a book be to get published?

Publishers go by words, not pages. Most adult books are about 90,000 words, and no longer than 100,000 words (unless you’re JK Rowling).

How many chapters should a YA novel have?

12-27 chapters

Most experts agree that 3,000-5,000 words per chapter is a good guideline to follow. So, 12-27 chapters for a YA novel would be a good range to start with. From there, you can narrow it down a little more by checking out similar books within the specific genre you’re writing.

Can young adult novels have violence?

Young adult fantasy seems to have a different metric than other YA literature when it comes to the level of acceptable violence. In fantasy, YA heroes and heroines wield weapons, fight in wars, and kill enemies. But handling that level of violence when writing for young adults requires some delicacy.



What is explicit book?

By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica • Edit History. Table of Contents. explicit, in bookmaking, a device added to the end of some manuscripts and incunabula by the author or scribe and providing such information as the title of the work and the name or initials of its author or scribe.

What is the difference between implicit and explicit?

Explicit describes something that is very clear and without vagueness or ambiguity. Implicit often functions as the opposite, referring to something that is understood, but not described clearly or directly, and often using implication or assumption.

How do you read explicit?

Explicit reading means reading with a clear purpose. That purpose is to determine the meaning of the text being read. When texts clearly state their purpose, they are explicit. When texts are vague, leaving many questions about their purpose, they are implicit.

What is implicit reading?

If something is implicit, it is not expressly stated, but the reader understands it anyway through other clues in the text.

What is systematic phonics?

SSP stands for Systematic Synthetic Phonics. It is an approach which teaches children to recognise letters (graphemes) and their associated sounds (phonemes). It is also known as alphabetic phonics and involves breaking the word down into the smallest units of sound.



What is textually implicit?

Textually implicit questions are questions that require the reader to make inferences based on information in the text—to fill in gaps in the text that the author doesn’t explicitly state. These questions cannot be answered without the text, but they also cannot be answered by using exact words from the text.